KINSTON - Lela Jane Smith Bryant, 91, of 3301 Crestwood Drive, died peacefully on Wednesday morning January 21, 2009, at Kitty Askins Hospice Center, Goldsboro, N.C. surrounded by family and friends. She fought a valiant battle with Multiple Myeloma cancer for more than three years. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, January 26, 2009, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness, 2261 Hwy 11 N. Kinston, N.C. Officiating will be Elder Noah Cole and Elder Alginald Hart, Sr. Interment will follow at Pinelawn Memorial Park, Kinston, N.C. She was born March 22, 1917, in Vanceboro, N.C. (Craven County) to Edmund Frank Smith and Caroline Clark Smith, the eleventh of twelve children. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, Samuel E. Bryant; five sisters and five brothers. Lela attended the Buck Elementary School in Vanceboro, N.C. after which she enrolled in P.S. Jones High School, Washington, N.C. and graduated in 1937. December 22, 1939, she married Samuel E. Bryant and lived in Fort Barnwell, N.C. This union was blessed with four children. In 1959 they relocated to Brooklyn, N.Y. and later to Queens, N.Y. However, they returned to North Carolina in 1990 ? to Kinston. In 1980 Lela retired from the City of New York having worked as a clerical supervisor. She dedicated her life to Jehovah and symbolized it by water baptism on June 15, 1979. Her devotion to Jehovah and her gentle, kind and helpful spirit made her a lovable and unforgettable person. She loved her ministry, and found much joy in studying and sharing the Holy Scriptures. Surviving her to cherish her memory are her children, Vera B. Smith of Newark, Del., Carolyn Nadine B. Taylor of the home, Eddie Bryant and wife Jacqueline, of Pittsford, N.Y., William "Billy" Bryant of Kinston, N.C.; five grandchildren, Bryan Simms and wife Laura, of New York City, N.Y., Jennifer Simms of Greensboro, N.C., Erica Barnabas and husband Rajesh, of Rochester, N.Y., Tiffany Bryant of Brooklyn, N.Y. and Jonathan Bryant, of Duluth, Ga.; two great-grandchildren, Marlo Simms and Ronin Simms, of New York City, N.Y.; she is also survived by one brother, Thomas Smith of Brooklyn, N.Y.; one sister-in-law, Bessie Seel of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. The family will receive friends and relatives from 4-8 p.m. on Sunday, January 25, 2009, at Mills Funeral Home, 1300 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Kinston, N.C. 28501 and other times at the home. Flowers are welcome or memorial donations may be made to Kitty Askins Hospice Center, 107 Handley Park Court, Goldsboro, NC 27534. Professional services entrusted to Mills Funeral Home, Inc. Sign the guest book at www.kinston.com.
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